MUMBAI: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday flexed his political muscles, hurling two questions at ally BJP and making it clear that the Sena would not accept the MNS as a post-poll ally in the NDA.

The belligerent move, say political observers, indicates that the Sena-BJP ties have hit an all-time low, forcing the latter to rush Rajiv Pratap Rudy to Matoshree to allay Uddhav's apprehensions.

"I want to know who calls the shots in the Maharashtra BJP," Thackeray said at a press conference. "We knew that Gopinath Munde and Devendra Phadnavis run the BJP's affairs in the state and were fine with them. But now there is someone who is vitiating the climate. I want to know if this someone takes the decisions in the party," he said, in a clear indication that BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, whose overtures to the MNS sparked the current crisis, would hereafter be persona non grata for the Sena.

Thackeray's second query pertained to Gadkari's proposal to get the MNS on board. "Is the BJP keen on securing support from power-hungry political parties in order to increase the NDA's tally in the Lok Sabha?" he asked.

Although Thackeray didn't mention either Gadkari or MNS chief Raj Thackeray by name, he made it abundantly clear that the two were on the Sena's radar and that the duo was instrumental in engineering a rift in the Sena-BJP alliance in recent weeks.

Talking to mediapersons, Rudy said the time was not ripe to discuss the post-poll scenario. His statement was construed by Sena strategists as the BJP's non-committal stance on the issue of Uddhav's bete noire joining the saffron combine.

Sources in the Sena said pressure has been mounting on Uddhav from the party rank and file to act tough with the BJP, in keeping with the party's aggressive image. A tiny section, though, has been clamouring for the party to quit the alliance. Thackeray held talks with senior party colleagues and the 19 party candidates for the Lok Sabha elections before addressing the press conference where he posed the two questions to the BJP.

Stating that the Sena-BJP has stood together through thick and thin, Thackeray said, "Some people are trying to gain entry into the alliance. They have been critical of us in the past. But they have realized now that Narendra Modi is slated to win. It's a case of 'Maan na maan, main tera mehman' (I am your guest, whether you like it or not)," and added, in a not-so-veiled attack on the MNS, "Those who have no future in politics have now put on the Modi 'mukhauta' (mask)."

Stating that merely adding numbers to swell the Lok Sabha tally would spell doom for the BJP, Uddhav said, "Those who contest against the Sena-BJP combine would later come to us seeking an alliance after the election. Such people have a single-point agenda—'Gire phir bhi taang upar' (Puffing up the chest even after a debacle)," Thackeray said and warned that the saffron combine shouldn't repeat Arvind Kejriwal's folly. "Kejriwal launched a crusade against the Congress and then formed the government in New Delhi on its support."

Earlier in the day, the BJP hurriedly worked out a strategy to pacify the Sena. The party's central leadership had asked Rudy to speak with Thackeray. Later, state BJP chief Devendra Phadnavis held talks with the Sena president at Matoshree. Thackeray is believed to have asked Phadnavis if the BJP had authorized Gadkari to hold talks with Raj Thackeray.

Talking to mediapersons after his visit to Matoshree, Phadnavis said he had clarified his party's stand on the contentious issues that have been wracking the saffron combine.

"I reassured Uddhav-ji that the BJP was committed to keep the Sena-BJP alliance going from strength to strength, intact and strong. The Sena is our long-standing ally and our partnership is anchored in Hindutva. We will contest the Lok Sabha elections as formidable allies," Phadnavis said.

The BJP leader said his party felt the need to reassure Matoshree following media reports over the past week on the goings-on in the saffron alliance. "We wanted to remove the confusion in the minds of our party workers," he added.

However, Uddhav didn't let go a single opportunity to rub it in some more. Asked if he was aware that a remarkably large number of Shiv Sainiks were keen on the Sena doing a rethink on its alliance with the BJP, he told the questioner, "I am better connected with the Sainiks than you!"

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